People Inc. CEO Neil Vogel calls Google a 'bad actor' over AI crawling practices - BusinessToday

People Inc. CEO Neil Vogel calls Google a 'bad actor' over AI crawling practices - BusinessToday

Vogel argues that publishers must reclaim leverage against Big Tech by blocking unpaid AI crawlers, successfully negotiating with companies like OpenAI. This strategy highlights the urgent need for transparent data access, forcing AI providers to compensate creators rather than exploiting content without permission. Google faces intense criticism for acting as an "intentional bad actor" by refusing to decouple its search traffic from its AI training. This stance undermines the open data movement, as it prevents creators from controlling how their public content is harvested for commercial model training without losing essential audience reach. The broader implication is a shift toward mandatory licensing, challenging the assumption that online content is free for AI development. This redefines the relationship between data providers and technology firms, emphasizing that sustainable open ecosystems require fair compensation and respect for creator rights.

Source: businesstoday.in
Published on 2025-09-16